The Gemini: Day and Night
by Dearb Productions
Summary: The Joker has murdered the mother of the Wilson twins. Now taken under the wing of Bruce Wayne, they both find different ways of coping with their grief. A depressed Daniel dedicates his life to fighting crime, while a schizophrenic Kameron has other ways to cope. In Book two of "The Dayhound" Saga, friends become enemies, lover's become traitors, and much more. Ch 11 is here!
1. Chapter 1

**Note** If you haven't read "The Day Will Rise" it is strongly recommended that you do that first. This is the sequel to that.

I wake up in a dark room. Was I really awake? Never could tell anymore. I get out of the bed I'm in and walk down the hall that adjoins with the room I am in. Purple. That's the color of the hallway. Never really liked purple. Haven't ever been a fan of it. I walk farther and farther down the hallway until I see him. The man who murdered my mother. I see him laughing to himself. Laughing at what? Laughing at me? My anger grows and I charge him. He tries to shoot me, but his gun is out of ammo. I shoulder-check him to the ground. He once again starts laughing that annoying laugh. I dive on top of him, punching his face as hard as I can. He is just laughing. Why is he laughing? I start slamming his head against the ground until I hear a snapping coming from him. Then, I start laughing.

"Master Kameron." The butler, Alfred Pennyworth says to me as I awake, "Are you alright, sir?"

"Just fine, you stupid bloody Brit." I say in a Scottish accent. I find myself doing this more and more. Insulting people. I always insult the butler in this accent. I really have turned into such a jerk, but I don't care. Nothing matters. Not my friends, not my team, not my girlfriend, not even my brother. Nothing matters until I've killed that stupid clown. The man, nay, the monster who murdered my mother.

"Master Kameron," The Butler scolded, "Language, please!"

"Oh you want language?" I say in my Scottish accent, "Well why don't you go fu-"

He covers my mouth. The Butler had decided to touch me. I decide to go flat. No emotion, no voice, no caring.

"My lord, Master Kameron!" The Butler yells in frustration as he storms from the room, "You are impossible."

Once he's gone, I lie back into bed, and dream of killing that Clown.

—Danny—

I woke up on a fire escape, my side aching. My mind flashed back to how I got here. A bomb, set by the Penguin's men, went off behind a door I was about to enter. It was blown off it's hinges, and sent flying into me. I smashed through the window, and fell onto the fire escape.

I slowly hoisted myself up with my bat. I was surprised to see Robin standing on the railing of the fire escape.

"Poor little Dayhound," Robin said, laughing, "need a little birdie to help the poor doggy up?"

"Shut up Robin." I said to him, flipping him off. He just laughed at me, then grappled up to the roof. I took another moment to get my senses back, then jumped back through the window.

The room that had been blown up was now on fire, but not severely, so it wouldn't burn the building down. I charged through the room and burst through the door on the other side. I heard a machine gun go off, and hit the floor, narrowly avoiding a shower of bullets. I crushed a smoke bomb on my belt before the shooter could fire again. I leapt off the wall to my left, landing on top of the man with the machine gun. There were two more men in the room, but they jumped out of the window, and started heading down the fire escape. I considered chasing them, but there was a greater concern. They had just finished setting bomb that would blow up the whole building and all the surrounding ones, all of which were filled with people, not to mention Batman, Batgirl, and Robin were fighting with thugs on the roof.

I ran over to the bomb and started to disarm it. I used my utility knife to open the console, then cut a few green wires. The timer was still counting down. I was running out of time. In a frenzy, I punched the main circuit. To my relief, the timer stopped. I exhaled loudly.

"Phew..." I heard a girl's voice say from behind me, "was worried you weren't gonna get that there."

I spun around and was met by a pair of bright purple eyes. She smiled at me with scarlet lips and pearly white teeth. She moved her wild, shoulder-length, red hair out of her eyes. Overall, she was pretty hot. I didn't let her know that though.

"Who are you?" I asked in a gravelly voice.

"I'm the Joker's daughter, but you can call me Duela." She said, holding out her hand. I opened my mouth to speak, but had no idea what to say. Was this girl really the Joker's daughter? As far as I knew, the Joker had only had a girlfriend for two years.

"So, are ya gonna tell me your name, or are we just gonna make out?" She said, getting closer. I, for whatever reason, decided to take a less serious approach. It may have been my costume, or it may have been Duela.

"Sorry babe," I said in my gravelly voice, pushing her away, "not on the first date."

"Does that mean I'll get a second?" She said, wrapping her arms around me and getting in close.

"We'll see." I answered as I pushed her away.

She then brandished a knife. My utility knife. My three-inch long, razor sharp, thin-enough-to-fit-through-finger-bones utility knife. She slashed for my throat, but I through up an arm to block it.

"You're good." She said, winking.

"Could say the same about you." I replied, more seriously than before. I will admit, during this fight I did have to keep reminding myself that I had a girlfriend and that this woman was trying to kill me. Of course, I don't think she was really trying to kill me, because she was telegraphing all of her moves. Even an untrained person would be able to make some moves secretly.

Eventually, she was backed up to the window.

"Well, thanks for the dance, cutie," she said, jumping out the window, "but I gotta run."

I ran to the window she had jumped from and looked out. She was no where to be seen. The trail had run cold. I headed up to the roof, where Batman was supposed to be. Of course, he was no where to be seen. They had ditched me again. In frustration, I made my way back to my car, and from there, to the Batcave.

When I arrived, I found Barbara and Dick sparring and Bruce, at the Batcomputer.

"Gee guys," I said sarcastically as I got out of my car, "thanks for waiting for me."

None of the others said anything. I went up to the Batcomputer and leaned up against it.

"Met a girl today. Claimed to be the Joker's Daughter." I said as I got up to Bruce. He took his attention off the screen and stared at me for a second.

"Impossible." He said, turning back to the screen. He was staring at a recreated digital crime scene. A triple homocide. Probably the reason they had ditched me.

"Why's that?" I asked after a second.

"Because," Batman said, not turning from the screen, "The Joker only has a son. And he's five years old."

"What?"

"Before the Joker was the Joker, he was a normal person. He had a son."

"How do you know that? Do you know who he is?"

Instead of answering me, he waved me off, telling me that he was done answering my questions.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I am really sorry that there hasn't been an update in a while, I am really trying to keep writing, but it's not that easy. I am going through a personal crisis, but it's nothing to worry about.

—Kameron—

I walk downstairs after getting dressed so that I can get breakfast. I see Danny with his head down on the table, fast asleep. Why is he always tired? Why is everyone in this house always tired except for the Butler and me? I remember that everyone else is a vigilante. Shaking that thought away, I approach him and nudge him.

"Danny, we have school." I say to him as he awakes.

He starts to talk, but I don't listen. I am too distracted by a man standing outside the window. Deep in my subconscious, I know he isn't real, that it's just my schizophrenia, but I can't think about that right now. I am terrified of him. He is pale with torn clothes and black eyes. Why does he just stare at me?

"Kameron!" Danny says to me as he shakes me back into reality. I look at him, then at the window. The man is gone. "You alright buddy?"

"Yeah... Yeah... Yeah..." I reply to him.

"You can't do that." He says, as he hugs me, "It scares me, bro. Just take your stupid pills."

He puts two in my hand. I put them in my mouth, but don't swallow. Danny doesn't know, there's no way he could. The doctor is trying to kill me with these pills, and My brother has no idea. I can't tell him. He'd think I'm crazy. Maybe I am crazy? Maybe I'm the only sane one?

As soon as Danny leaves the room, I spit the pills in the sink and wash them down the garbage disposal. I eat the same cereal as Danny (the kind I know isn't poisoned) and then head outside, where the Butler, Danny, and that boy, Dick Grayson, are waiting for me in the Cadillac. I get in without a word and we drive off to school. When we get there, I separate from the pair and start walking down the street, undetected.

I walk for a few miles before reaching my destination. My old apartment building. I climb up the stairs, insert the key I stole into my apartment door, and then walk in. It looks exactly the same as the night my mother was murdered, except for a few minor details. The wall is written on with spray paint. I don't remember writing these things, but I know I did. It's all just gibberish. Letters, pictures, and words. I pull a large map of Gotham from the drawer where I've hidden it, and start to try and figure out where the Joker is hidden. That clown will pay for what he's done. The pictures on the wall come off and start dancing on the map. I was surprised the first time this happened, but I am used to it now. I realized that they are helping me find him.

—Danny—

"Guess who?" I heard the voice of my girlfriend, Helena Bertinelli, say behind me as she covered my eyes with her hands. I moved them off and pulled her forward, so she was hugging me.

"Lemme guess... Oliver Queen?" I said, laughing. She rolled her eyes and playfully shoved me. I spun around and kissed her softly on the lips. When we broke it off, we sat on a nearby bench.

"So how was your spring break?" She asked me.

"It certainly wasn't much of a 'break.' How about yours?"

"Pretty good, I guess. My dad and I went to Coast City. I got you something."

"Helena, you really didn't-"

"I know, I wanted to. Close your eyes."

I did as she said and held out my hands. She dropped a small box in it. I opened my eyes, and lifted the lid off of the tiny red box. Inside was a silver ring with cryptic engravings on it.

"Helena, I'm flattered, but we are much too young." I said, jokingly.

"Ugh... You big goofball." She replied, rolling her eyes and playfully shoving me. "The guy I bought it from said it was some kinda mystic stuff. Belonged to some great magician."

"And you don't believe him?"

"Why should I? Magic can't be real."

"You live in a world with people like Superman, but you don't believe in magic?"

"Fair point." She said as she rolled her eyes, "But that doesn't change things. I still don't believe in magic."

"I've seen it."

"Yeah? When?"

"When I first moved here. I saw Giovani Zatara and his daughter fight some guys."

"Daughter?" Helena questioned in a slightly jealous tone. Of all the things she could've payed attention to, why did it have to be that?

"I didn't talk to her! She didn't even see me!"

Luckily for me, the bell rang. Helena and I said our goodbyes and went to class.

—Kameron, later that night—

I put the hood of my sweatshirt up, followed by a black scarf around my face. I look into the mirror. This must be how Danny feels. I do feel like kind of a badass. I pull the long sword from its sheathe on my bed and hold it, looking in the mirror once again.

The sword belongs to Bruce Wayne. For a guy who doesn't kill, he sure has a lot of weapons laying around. I took it from a storage closet with a whole bunch of medieval stuff in it. Armor, swords, shields, axes, you name it. There was even an early form of gun in there. I doubt it works, though. This sword would serve my purpose well enough. I put it in the sheath once again and strap it to my back.

I once again check the hallway to make sure that the Butler isn't out there. He isn't. I open my window and leap out. Tonight is the night that the Joker dies.

As I swiftly drive the stolen motorcycle across the bridge that connects amusement mile to the diamond district, I begin to question whether or not this was a wise idea. I push this thought aside when I hear a loud bang, followed by an even louder hysterical laugh. It's him. I stop the motorcycle and run towards the noise.

—Danny—

"What was that?" I yelled to Robin as a loud bang is heard across town.

"Sounded like a bomb." He yelled back, swinging his staff hard against the guy who was coming at him.

"Dayhound, Batgirl!" Batman ordered, stepping out of the shadows, "Go investigate. Robin and I will deal with Black Mask."

Babs and I looked at each other, then ran across the rooftops towards the sound.

As we neared the source, we heard gunshots, psychotic laughter, and screaming. All things that match the M.O. of the Joker.

"Sure you wanna handle this, Danny?" Batgirl asked me, pulling down her cowl. I turned to her and did the same with my hood and scarf.

"I'm a different person than I was when Roger died. I don't want to kill the Joker, I want to see him rot in a cell." I replied, nodding.

Barbara didn't say anything, she just hugged me. I was surprised at this gesture, but it was a welcomed one. It had felt like forever when someone had given me a hug of reassurance. She pulled her cowl back up and started running across the rooftops towards the area where the Joker was. I pulled my own form of mask up and followed her.

—Kameron—

I arrive at the scene just in time to see a woman being stabbed to death by one of Joker's goons. I draw the stolen sword and charge at him. He stares at me for a second, but instead of trying to defend himself, he falls on the ground and cries. I stop for a moment, puzzled.

I don't think about why he's doing it for long enough though. I start to kick him while he's on the ground. He starts to cry as I'm doing it. I enjoy this. I enjoy his pain, his sorrow. Once he stops crying, I take a deep breath and plunge the tip of the blade into his throat.

Once the deed is done, I take a moment to realize what I had just done. I killed a man. I enjoyed killing a man. All that pain, all that anger, all that sorrow. It was gone, now replaced by a feeling of bliss. That is, until I remember that this crazy isn't the one who killed my mother. I hear laughter once more and a man falls off the rooftop. I kick down the door to the building and begin to make my way up to the Joker.

—Danny—

It was an old apartment building. Batgirl and I had stopped across the street to asses the situation. There were only three bodies, as far as we could tell. A woman, who had been stabbed by a knife, which was still in her. A man, cause of death unknown, but I assumed he was thrown off the roof. Lastly, there was one of Joker's men, who had a nasty puncture wound on his neck. Batgirl and I went down to street level to investigate this body.

"This wound..." Batgirl said inquisitively, "It doesn't match the Joker's M.O. Looks like it was inflicted by a sword or something."

"How many super villains use swords?" I asked her, crouching down beside her to investigate the body as well.

"A few. Maybe 5?" She said, standing up. "You head up to the roof, I'll clear the building."

"Gotcha!" I replied with a mock salute. She laughed, rolled her eyes, then ran inside. I aimed my grapple gun towards the roof. With the squeeze of my finger, I was whisked away.

I arrived just in time to see the Joker throw his next victim, this time an old woman, off the roof. He giggled and shot his gun a couple times in random directions.

I couldn't take any more of this. I charged him and leapt into the air, sending a flying kick towards his face. He fell backwards laughing.

"If it isn't our pal, Bat-Dog?" He said with a smile, "Long time no see, right buddy?"

"Shut up!" I yelled at him, pulling my bat off my back.

"Ooh! Someone sounds angry! Are you gonna kill me?"

"No. I'm going to bring you to justice." I said, trying to sound heroic. I charged him again.

He tried to smack me in the face with a crowbar, but I kicked his wrist before he could reach it. I hit the side of his face hard with the bat, then grabbed his shirt. I threw him behind me, towards the center of the roof.

He drew his gun again and aimed it towards my head. I threw my bat at it. It nailed his hand, and sent his gun clear off the rooftop. He brandished a knife from his coat and charged me with the blade out, attempting to stab me.

I stepped out of the way and grabbed his arm. I used his momentum to judo toss him clear across the roof. His knife skidded off.

"All out of toys?" I asked him in my gravelly voice, which the rest of the Bat-Family had come to know as my 'Dayhound Voice.' I didn't ever call it that, but they were right about it.

"I don't need toys!" He yelled, laughing and taking the stance of an old-fashioned boxer. "Come at me! But first, what's that behind you?"

"Nice try, clown, but I ain't-" I started to say before being hit in the back of the head, hard. I went down and felt myself black out.

—Kameron—

I can't believe what I had done. I just knocked out Danny. I hit him in the back of the head hard with the hilt of the sword. He lies in front of me on the ground. It was what had to be done. If Danny had known that I am here to kill the Joker, he would've stopped me. I step over him and point my sword at the Joker.

"Why does everyone cover their face? Look at me! I don't have anything on my face and I am perfectly fine!" He yells, picking up Danny's bat off the ground nearby him.

"You son of a bitch. You killed my mother." I yell back at him, slowly stepping toward him.

"Elaborate. I kill a lot of mothers."

"Months ago. In October. Your first encounter with him." I say, pointing at Danny.

"Ah I see now. Man, that guy cried about it for a while. Did you cry about it?"

This is enough for me. I charge him. I leap into the air and do a lunging stab. He sidesteps and pops me in the face with the bat.

Wild swing after wild swing, I try and cut him, but he dodged each swing with finesse.

"You really suck at killing people." He says in a disappointed tone. I clench my teeth and swing harder and faster. He is no longer dodging every hit. He has to block a few with the bat.

I see my opportunity. I kick his legs out from under him. He crashes to the ground. I raise the blade high over my head, ready to deliver the killing blow when I hear the roof access door open. I spin around just in time to see Batgirl nail me with a flying punch. I skid across the roof. My hood and scarf come off, revealing my face to an angry Batgirl.

"Kam?" She asks, her foot inches from my face. I grab it and attempt to yank her upwards. She shakes free and turns her attention to the Joker, who unfortunately was getting in a helicopter, blowing kisses.

"Kameron, what the hell are you doing?" She asks me as I stand up.

"I'm trying to kill that bastard for what he's done." I say, picking up the sword. Danny is beginning to regain consciousness. Barbara pulls down her cowl and punches me in the shoulder.

"Kam? What are you doing here?" Danny asks once he's on his feet.

—Danny—

"Kam? What are you doing here?" I asked Kameron once I was up. Then I realized what had happened. It suddenly all clicked. Kameron had a sword, Babs was pissed, and there was a man who had been killed by a sword at street level. I pulled off my hood and scarf and stared at Kam in disbelief. He had actually killed someone. And he tried to kill the Joker. Not knowing what to do, I ran off. I ran to the Batcave. Ran to my own personal area. I needed to be alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Pills. That's what went on for the next hour. I had never tried them for recreational use, but I figured now was the time. I just took a handful of pain killers. I honestly wasn't sure what would happen, and I honestly can't describe what did happen in words. It was interesting, to say the least. It was also soothing. I laid in my hammock for that time until i finally fell asleep.

Had a weird dream that night. I was laying in my old bed, but it was abandoned and dusty. I got up and walked into the living room. Helena was there, along with Megan and that girl, Duela. When I walked in, the three of them turned to me. Then another person walked in. A man who was wearing an outfit exactly like my costume, but instead of white and light gray, his was black and dark gray. He also carried an ornate katana on his back, in place of where I would keep my bat. He drew the sword, and the three girls backed up into the wall. He ran past all of them, slicing their heads off as he did. Then he turned to me. He ran towards me, jumped over the couch, and stabbed me in the chest. As I fell to my knees, he left the room. I laid on the floor for a little while, when Duela suddenly appeared over me. She helped me up and told me to wake up.

"Danny!" Barbara said as she shook me, waking me up.

"What?" I asked, suddenly having a huge headache.

"Dude, are you ok? You fell off your hammock."

I hadn't noticed that I was on the ground until now. I sat up and took in my surroundings. Barbara was still in her costume, though the cowl and cape were hung up on a pole nearby.

"Yeah..." I replied, trying to stand up. As soon as I did, I nearly fell over again. I was still high.

"Woah! Careful there buddy!" She yelled as she grabbed my hand, preventing me from falling flat on my back.

"Sorry... Just, the whole thing with Kameron, y'know?" I partially-lied to her. I say 'partially' because the Kameron thing hadn't been the reason I was falling down. It was the pills I took. I wouldn't have taken them if it weren't for Kam though.

She looked me in the eyes, her visage full of concern. Without saying a word, she grabbed me and hugged me tightly. At this point, I honestly didn't know what my relationship with Babs had become. We were great friends, but there was a part of me that wanted us to be more than that. There was also a part of her that wanted to as well, but we both acted the majority of the time that those parts didn't exist. That's what sucks about being hyper-observant. You notice everything. Whether it's your good friend shoplifting, or, in my case, knowing that your best friend, who you also happen to have a crush on, has a crush on you, but your other best friend has had a huge crush on her forever. Needless to say, at points in time, I'm glad I liked Helena as much as I did, otherwise, Dick and I may not be friends.

"You know I'm here for you, right?" She said, still hugging me.

"Yes, I know." I replied, hugging her lightly back. "How is he?"

She broke off the hug and looked at me.

"I don't think we should talk about that right now." She said, starting to head over to the training area, "You need to get your mind off of that. I know a way that I can help."

I smiled as she started to walk away. She turned around and beckoned me toward her, taking up a karate stance in the training area. I smiled wider and ran toward her, leaping as I got close.

Later that night, I was laying in bed when my phone vibrated with life. Someone was calling me. I looked at the caller ID, but it was no one I knew. I answered it quickly.

"Hello?" I asked as I answered it.

"Hi, is this the Dayhound?" A woman's voice asked on the other side of the call.

"Who is this? How did you get this number?" I questioned in my Dayhound voice.

"This is Zatanna Zatara. My dad is-" she started to say before I cut her off.

"Giovanni Zatara, I know. How did you get this number?"

"Magic. Why are you using that ridiculous voice?"

"Shut up. What do you want?"

"Aren't you a charmer? My dad wants to meet you. Don't ask why, I can't say on the phone. He just does. What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Same thing I always do. Help Batman."

"So you're free then?" She asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"I guess so. Where and when?" I asked, still using my gravelly voice.

"Say... The Gotham museum. 8:30 pm. Bring your costume, but don't wear it."

"Alright." I replied, hanging up right after. I don't know why. I kind of just wanted to give her a sense of mystery. I suddenly felt very tired, and went to sleep.

—Kameron—

"Who do they think they are? Stopping me from killing the Joker? That may have been my one chance and they ruined it." I yell (of course, using my Scottish accent) at the Butler, who has been silently guarding me, making sure I do not try to get out again. "Well? Are you gonna say something?"

The Butler shakes his head, no. Honestly, I would try to overpower him, but I don't know if I could, after all, at one point, I did think I could overpower Danny.

"Master Kameron." The Butler finally says, "you killed a man today, don't you feel the slightest bit guilty. Master Daniel wanted to die when he killed a man."

"Don't compare me to Danny. He is weak. That's why he has guilt. They all are. Batman, Robin, Batgirl, every single one of them. You and I, Butler, we are the only strong ones."

"Don't compare me to you, you psychopath!" He yells at me as he stands up. I start to laugh.

"You're a killer too." I laugh at him, "I can see that look in your eyes. It's the same look I saw in my reflection after I had killed."

"Mine was different. I was fighting a war." He argues back, struggling to make it seem as though he is different than me.

"Oh, but it IS the same. I am fighting a war as well. And you will become my soldier." I say to him in my normal voice with an eerie smile. I am damaging him, injuring him with words. I am overpowering him. Enough to make him leave the room and get the Batman. Batman, much to my dismay, is stronger willed than the Butler, and is silent for the rest of the night.

—Danny, later that morning—

"But Danny," Helena said to me on the phone, "It feels like forever since we've gone out. Plus, how many times do you get to attend a play on opening night? I know that you're rich now, but you don't have much of a night life."

"I'm sorry, but I just can't tonight." I replied to her, trying to resist her puppy-dog voice.

"Bruce has had you out every night for the past month. I miss you."

"It's not Bruce this time. And you see me nearly every day."

"So? I don't see you enough. I wanna be with you, Danny." She said, still relentlessly trying to get me to blow off my plan for tonight. "Wait a minute... It's not Bruce this time? Who is it?"

"It's no one important. Well, not to you, anyways."

"Who is it?" She asked again with a bit of venom in her voice.

"It's Zatanna Zatara and Giovani Zatara?" I replied. I heard her let out a scoff on her side of the phone. "It's not what you think. She called me last night saying that her father-"

"She CALLED you?" Helena asked angrily.

"Well, yes, but I don't even know her. Bruce gave her my number and-"

"Daniel Wilson, I swear to God-"

"Helena, I-"

"You are lucky you are so damn-"

"Helena!" I finally managed to yell at her.

"What?!" She yelled back at me.

"I swear that I've never met her. She called me for her father. It's not like a date or anything. If it was, I would've said no, and do you wanna know why?"

"Why?" She questioned, her voice full of rage.

"Because I love YOU."

She was silent for a moment.

"Prove it."

"When and where?" I asked with a smile.

"Tomorrow night, 6. I'll text you the address. Wear something fancy." She said before hanging up.

I put my phone in my pocket and walked out of the car into Gotham High. It was a Saturday, but the football coach and P.E. Teacher, Coach Crock had called me in, probably about Kam. It had become obvious to just about everyone that Kam was different now.

"Wilson, good, you're here, sit down." Coach Crock said as I entered the gym. The rest of the football team was sitting in a circle on steel chairs. I took a seat in the empty one.

"Ok boys, you all know why I've brought you here. Kam's gotten... Well, he's changed since the passing of his mom (my condolences, Wilson). So, we are here today to find out what's wrong with him, and what we can do to fix him."

I payed attention for the first little while, but then, I got a text from Bruce.

"Need you home now. There 1s a leaky faucet." The message read. That '1' in the 'is' meant that there was an emergency. The 'leaky faucet' meant that it was in park row.

"Uh... Coach?" I interrupted him.

"What is it, Wilson?" He asked, slightly irritated.

"I gotta go." I said as I ran out of the room. I heard him calling after me, but I had already started getting my costume on.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time I got to Park Row, I knew where the crime was taking place. There was smoke coming from the area that Central Park was located. I traversed the rooftops until I was on top of city hall, which loomed over the park.

Killer Croc, Firefly (who should've been in Arkham), and my father (along with various henchmen) were fighting mobsters in the park. I saw Batman fighting Croc, but Robin and Batgirl were no where to be spotted. I fired my grapple gun at a lamp post and swung down from my perch and into the fray.

Once I was on the ground, I took my bat off of my back. I ran up behind Deathstroke and slammed it hard into the back of his head before he could shoot the man in front of him. He hit the ground, but was up and turned around as fast as he'd gone down.

"Well, the prodigal son returns!" He scoffed as he saw me, "Killed anyone new lately?"

"Shut the hell up." I said to him, spinning my wrist with my bat.

"And still doing that ridiculous voice when you're in costume, I see."

I charged him and swung my bat in his direction, only to have it blocked by his sword. This is what I wanted. I was a better fighter than last I saw him, and he clearly didn't expect me to be. I kicked the side of his knee now that I was inside. This threw him off balance, squaring Deathstroke the Terminator up for a hard straight kick to the chest. He flew backwards, into a statue of one of the Founders of Gotham, cracking the pedestal that the statue was standing on. It wouldn't incapacitate him, but it allowed me to turn my attention to other problems.

I grabbed a guy's wrist as he was about to shoot a cop and flipped over it, twisting it all the way around. He cried out in pain as I back kicked him in the face, knocking him out.

After that easy one, I decided to try something that was literally bigger. Killer Croc was standing only fifty feet away from me, biting off a poor guy's head. His back turned. I charged him, taking a leap off of a tree that was in between us, and came crashing down on his head. He roared and threw me off. Luckily, I landed on my feet.

"Puny Human! I will crush your bones!" He growled at me.

"Hate to break it to ya, croc-y, but you're human to." I yelled back. To my surprise, he stopped and gave a questionable look.

"Are you making fun of my voice?" He said, quite confused. I rolled my eyes and cartwheeled over a gun, picking it up. I swiftly shot him in the foot, and kicked his now chest-level head, sending him veering back, right into the iron-grip of Batman. Batman began to choke him out. As hard as Croc tried to get away, he couldn't, and was shortly knocked unconscious. He gave me a nod, then charged off to fight a recovered Deathstroke.

I was about to shoot my grapple gun at Firefly, when I heard a scream come from nearby, at the end of the park. There was a black limousine being shaken by a half-dozen or so henchmen. I ran up to them, body-checking one on the car. I slammed his head against the top quickly and punched one in the stomach. He collapsed and I stomped on his head. I smashed the one next to him straight over the top of his head with my bat.

Much to my dismay, I wasn't aware of the one sneaking up behind me. He grabbed me in a full Nelson as his remaining comrade began to start punching me. I struggled to get away, but this guy was strong, possibly using Venom, or some other strength-enhancing drug. Then, he dropped to the ground. I nailed the one who had been punching me with a flying knee, and twisted around to see who my savior was.

It was Helena, holding my bat. She smiled when I made eye contact, but then remembered we were in a public place.

"Ahem... I think this is yours." She said, holding out my bat. I took it.

"Thanks Hele- Helluva hit you gave that guy." I said, trying to act like I didn't know her.

"Oh my... You do use a stupid voice..." She said, giggling.

"Never mind." I said, rolling my eyes, "What happened?"

"Falcone put a bounty on my capture. He's trying to get my father to do what he wants."

"Hide. Go somewhere safe. We'll deal with this." I said seriously. She nodded, then ran up and kissed me on the cheek. I pulled my scarf up higher to hide the fact that I was blushing, then nodded to her as she ran off.

I turned around just in time to see Dick get a face full of dirt from being knocked off of a lamp post by Firefly. Using all of my composure not to laugh, I aimed my grappled gun at the flying menace. A whoosh of air told me that I had hit him as I was jerked off of my feet, straight through a tree. I didn't think I would be able to hold on, but I did.

I decided not to push the break button on my gun. We had it for situations like this, when we had to grab something specific. But his jetpack was damaged enough that a full-speed hit probably would've broken it. Or instead, just have broken me. Fortunately, luck went my way as I nailed him. He came crashing down, breaking his flamethrower as he hit Deathstroke. I rolled when I hit the ground. It still hurt, but I was doing a lot better than Firefly was.

I laid on the ground for a moment, then Batgirl came and helped me up. The situation was now under full control. Robin came over and high fived me and Batman gave me a nod of approval. Still shaken from my crash, I wasn't able to pay attention to what anyone was saying, but we did agree to meet back at the Batcave.

—Kameron—

"Master Kameron, why do you insist on using that ridiculous voice when you speak with me? You're just like Master Daniel." The Butler says as I am watching him repair costumes.

"Danny uses voices when he talks to you?" I ask, curious.

"Not just me. He does it whenever he's in costume. Even when he's in the Batcave." He says to me. I laugh at this comment. Danny does funny things like that.

"Hey, Butler?" I ask after a moment of silence. I see myself in front of me, but it's not really me. It's a different me. He's wearing a costume similar to Danny's, but it's black.

"Master Kameron, I do have a name." He replies, not looking up from his work.

"Whatever. If I describe a costume to you, will you make it?"

"First off, why? Second off, why should I?"

"First off, because I don't think he's gonna leave me alone until you do. Second off, because you want him to leave me alone." I say, unsteadily. The Butler looks up from his work.

"He?" He questions, quite confused, "Who is 'he?'"

I point. Obviously, the Butler can't see him, but I don't consider that for a moment. The Butler gives me a concerned look.

"Is he saying anything?" The Butler asks, worriedly.

"No, but he's really creeping me out. Please make me a costume. I want him to leave." I say, genuinely scared. I know that "He's" not real, but I can't help but be scared.

The Butler puts Batman's costume aside. "What does this costume look like?" He asks me.

"Like Danny's. But black and dark gray." I describe to him, nearly in tears.

As the Butler works, the figure leaves the room. I let out a sigh of relief, and so does Alfred. That's right, I called him Alfred. I reckon he deserves it once after helping me out. When he's finished, he hands me it, and I hug him.

"Master Kamer- Kam, I think you should take your medicine." He expresses to me after we hug.

"Butler... Alfred. I can't." I say sadly to him, in my normal voice. I use my normal voice when I am having a serious conversation.

"Why not?"

"Because the doctor is trying to poison me."

The Butler is silent for a moment, but he has a worried look on his face.

"Why on Earth would he try to do that?" He says after his moment of silence.

"Because he's working for the Joker." I say to him as the two of us sit down.

"What makes you believe that?"

"Batman told me."

"Master Bruce would never tell you that."

"Not THAT Batman. The other one."

"What other Batman, Master Kameron?"

"The shadowy one. The one who never leaves this house."

Tears are streaming down the Butler's face. I can see that he is genuinely worried about me. He hugs me once more.

"How often do you see this 'Other Batman,' Kameron?" He asks, trying to keep his composure.

"He comes to me three days a week." I say honestly back.

"But surely he doesn't tell you the same thing over and over. You already think that the doctor is trying to kill you."

"No. He only told me that once, when he first came. Now, he comes into my room and tells me that I'm stupid and worthless. That I should just kill myself."

The Butler doesn't try to even hide the fact that he's crying now. He is crying for me.

"Surely you don't believe him..."

"I didn't at first, but I do now. I've realized that I am worthless. The only reason I haven't killed myself yet is because of Danny. I can't do the same thing I stopped him from doing last summer."

"Master Kameron... You are not worthless. Not to Daniel, not to me, not to your friends, not even to Master Bruce."

"But I am, Alfred. The Shadow Batman says so. The people in my head say so. Even the ghost of my mom says so. She says that because I wasn't there to save her, I can't be her son anymore."

"Master Kameron... I know that isn't true. Your mother loves you very much. You can't blame yourself for her death. I know that wherever your mother is now, she is proud of you. Proud that you take such good care of your brother, proud that you haven't hurt yourself, and proud that you are becoming Kameron Wilson again." He says, wiping away tears that are running down my face.

After a moment of silence, I finally speak. "Alfred, what's wrong with me?" I ask him, nearly breaking down.

"You are just sick, Master Kameron. And like all illnesses, it can be cured."


	5. Chapter 5

—Danny, 8:27 p.m.—

I had just walked into the museum when a thought hit me. Where was I supposed to meet Zatara? Not knowing where to go, I wandered around the museum until it was 8:30. I was looking at a copy of VanGough's "Starry Night," when a hand grabbed me shoulder. I grabbed the wrist and nearly flipped who ever it was over, but I managed to control that reflex. I turned slowly around to meet the pale blue eyes of Zatanna Zatara.

"You're him?" She asked me emotionlessly. I nodded. She was wearing a form-fitting, silky green, backless dress that came down to just below mid-thigh. She nearly caught me checking her out, but I was able to make eye contact before she was able to notice.

"I'm Zatanna. I spoke with you on the phone." She said, as though I had forgotten. Still gawking at her, I just nodded. She rolled her eyes then led me out the backdoor, where a man who looked fairly disheveled greeted us. He had blonde, unkempt hair, looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days, and had dark green eyes. He was wearing a long, tan trench coat, black slacks, a white shirt, and a red tie that hung loosely around his neck. He seemed to be only a few years older than us.

"Daniel Wilson, this is John Constantine. John, this is Daniel Wilson."

"How do you do?" Constantine said to me in a heavy welsh accent as he shook my hand.

"John, where's my dad?" Zatanna asked after we had greeted one another.

"Couldn't make it. JLA stuff. I had business in Gotham, so he sent me to tell you. He figures you can handle him on your own." Constantine replied to Zatanna. She lets out a sigh of frustration.

"That's ok, I guess." She said with slight frustration, "Have fun with your demons. Try not to get killed."

Constantine smiled. "'ave you ever known me to get killed, Zee?" He joked.

"Yes. Don't do it again." She yelled to him as he walked off. "Ugh... That man and my father... Always so busy. Sorry about that." She said to me once he was gone.

"Oh no, you're fine... That came out wrong. It's fine, not you're fine. I mean, you are fine, but... Ugh..." I rambled as I blushed. I stopped when she rolled her eyes. She clearly didn't want me around.

"Oh my... Why couldn't my dad be here?" She asked towards the sky.

"What?" I asked back.

"I can tell that you and I won't get along very well..." She stated, "Follow me."

I began to follow her. She took me to an abandoned building, which we promptly snuck into.

"Sorry about the mess," she said as we entered the building, "This place hasn't been used in a while."

"What is this place?" I asked her. Though on the outside, it seemed abandoned, on the inside it seemed like something out of a foreign occult film.

"It's where my father used to train people to use their gifts." She started to say as she closed her eyes, attempting to recall something. "Emutsoc no." She commanded, and in an instant, she was in her clothes that I had seen her first in, bow tie and all.

"Wow..." I said, somewhat gawkingly.

She cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Are you saying that to what I just did, or my outfit?" She questioned. I couldn't tell if she was offended or not. "Doesn't matter. You brought your outfit?"

I motioned to the backpack I was carrying.

"Good. Change into it please."

I changed into my costume as she turned around.

"Wow. Batman really does like theatrics..." She said once I was redressed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked her.

"Why are you using that voice?"

"Why does everyone make fun of my voice?"

"You know what? Never mind. Here, put these on." She said, tossing me a pair of gauntlets.

"Hold it lady! I need an explanation first." I yelled as I caught the gloves. She rolled her eyes.

"Why do I have to explain everything?" She asked herself, "Look, my father wants to train you to control your gift. You are definitely an Arbiter, an ancient magical reincarnation of a creature that holds great magical power, so my father wants me to teach you to control that power."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, clearly frustrated, "I don't have any special powers. I hit people with a bat!"

She looked very confused at this point. "You mean... You haven't seen any signs of magic from yourself?"

"Nope. I'm just plain old Dayhound."

"But... The power. I can feel it." She asked, shocked.

"Well whatever you're feeling, it's not coming from me."

"Oh my goodness... I really need my dad." Zatanna said, massaging her temples. She went into another room. Then, my phone vibrated. I looked at it. Helena was calling. I ignored it until I got a second call soon after.

"Hello?" I asked as I answered.

"Hey dad..." Helena said on the phone.

"Helena, this is Danny, not your-" I started to say, before being cut off.

"Dad... I've been taken. You know by whom, but you'll never be able to hold a court case. Not that you'd want to." Helena interrupted. She was crying subtly. "They will give me back if you give two-thirds of your businesses to Falcone AND give twenty-five percent of your profits to him."

"Helena, what do you want me to do?" I said, in tears myself.

"I know you'll do the right thing. I know it. I... I love you. Goodbye." She replied as the phone hung up. In a fit of rage, I wanted to throw my phone against the wall, but just screamed instead.

"What the hell was that?" Zatanna exclaimed as she quickly entered the room.

"That was the sound," I said in my normal voice, "of a guy whose girlfriend just called him to say that she was captured by her father's rival mob." Zatanna opened her mouth, but didn't speak. I slammed my fist against one of the many mirrors in the room, breaking it into a hundred shards. Zatanna came over and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You can go, if you want... Take the gloves too. You may find use of them." She whispered, showing me kindness for the first time since we left the museum. I thanked her, changed clothes, then ran out. I should've ran to the Batcave, gotten Batman's help. Instead, I found myself at Franco Bertinelli's.

I knocked frantically on the door. I really big guy answered it.

"Whatchu want?" He said.

"I need to see your boss." I replied, nearly in tears.

"Ain't nobody sees the boss without bein' expected." He said, starting to shut the door. I put my hand on it, stopping it from shutting. The big guy scowled at me, then put a hand on my shoulder. I swiftly threw my palm up into the guy's elbow, hyperextending it. He clutched it with his other hand and I rabbit-punched him in the throat. He staggered back a few steps but drew his gun and fired a bullet at me. It cut my shoulder, but didn't distract me as I Superman-punched him in the head, knocking him down to the floor.

I didn't get the chance to knock him out as all the other members of the mob that were in the house showed up, guns drawn. I threw my hands up. Luckily for me, Franco Bertinelli entered the room before anyone could shoot.

"What's going on here? Don't you know who that is?" He asked everyone, who now had dumb looks on their faces, "That's my daughter's boyfriend! Get outta here, or you're all fired!"

The all filed out of the room as Bertinelli ushered me into the living room. He turned off the tv, and turned his attention to me.

"So, what do you need, Daniel Wilson?" He asked me happily. His smile faded when he saw the look on my face. "Oh no. What's happened to her?"

"She's been kidnapped by the Falcone's. I got a call from her. She said that you needed to give two thirds of your business to Falcone and a quarter of your profits to him." I said, making eye contact.

"But clearly, she doesn't want me to do that. Otherwise she woulda called me." He said, putting a hand on his forehead. "What do you propose we do, Danny?"

"I'm glad you asked..." I said to him. I had come up with a plan.

—Kameron—

I wake up in the middle of the night, breathing heavy. I've been having bad dreams for the past week, but I can never remember what they are about. I look over at my alarm clock, which says 1:34 a.m.

"Ugh... I need to leave the house." I say to myself as I get different clothes on. I also pack my new costume in a backpack. I don't know why, but I do. I quietly sneak out of my room, then stealthily check on Danny in his room. He isn't home. Right... He has that whole hero thing.

I creep out of the front door and down the driveway, to a dirt bike that Batman leaves out side. I start it up and begin to drive down the street, towards Gotham.

I arrive at my old apartment building. I'm not here to find the Joker this time, I'm here to find Danny. It's stupid to think that he would be here, but I just hope that he is. I go into the elevator and press the button for the top floor. Much to my surprise, I meet Megan as soon as the door opens.

"Kameron?" She asks, sounding shocked. I don't know what to do. I break down crying. "Kam, What's wrong?"

I compose myself enough to speak. "I really need Danny right now, but I don't know where he is. Please help me." I beg her as she ushers me into her apartment.

"Kam... How can I help you?" She asks me.

"Because you love him. You know where he'd hide." I say to her, yelling on accident. She winces slightly, as though she is disturbed.

"Kam... You haven't been taking your medicine. You aren't well."

"I know. I know. I know. I know!" I cry out, clutching my brain. "Stay out of my head, you bitch!"

She moves back as though she were avoiding a blow, but then puts a hand on my knee.

"I'll help you find Danny, Kameron." She whispers. I can sense fear in her voice, but I thank her. She closes her eyes and concentrates. It takes about ten minutes of silence, but she opens them again.

"He's in a car. Headed to... Falcone's House? This is not good. We need to help him." She says quickly. I see her instantly change her skin from tan to green, her hair and eyes from brown to red, and her clothes from normal to otherworldly. I stagger back for a second.

"This is my real from, Kameron." She says to me, assuring me that it's ok. I nod to agree with her, then put my costume on.

"How did you get here?" She asks me.

"Batman's dirt bike. You can ride on back." I reply as we rush into the elevator.


	6. Chapter 6

—Danny—

The car ride was somewhat awkward. Helena's Dad was carrying a machine gun, the guy in the passenger's seat had a machine gun, even the driver had a machine gun. Everyone had a machine gun except for me. I was the only person who didn't have a gun. I had a billy club. It was shorter than a bat, and I didn't want Bertinelli to think that I was the Dayhound (if I had asked for a bat, he might've thought so), so I asked for the club.

"Danny, I gotta ask you something." Bertinelli said to me as we were headed to Falcone's.

"Go ahead, Don Bertinelli." I said in a respectful manner.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?"

"What?"

"Do you want to sleep with her? Have you slept with her? Are you intending on marrying her if the relationship lasts that long? Tell me."

"I haven't thought much about the future. And no, I haven't slept with her. Why do you ask?"

"You're a nice guy, Daniel. But from my personal experience, nice guys always have something to hide. I'm just looking after the well-being of my daughter." He explained to me. It was a logical explanation. We rode the rest of the way in silence though.

When we got there, we got in position. Bertinelli and his crew would discuss "terms," while I snuck in through a window in the back. I would secure Helena, and then Bertinelli and the henchmen would create a distraction, giving me room to steal one of Falcone's cars and make a getaway.

As I started to sneak around back, I took cover and observed the area. There were about ten guards on patrol in back, each armed with a micro sub machine gun. The whole back courtyard was lit up as well. It was not going to be easy.

As I was ready to switch covers, a hand grabbed my shoulder. I flipped whoever it was over onto the ground and raised my club, ready to deliver a series of blows. I stopped, however, when I saw the eyes. I knew from his eyes who this was. Kameron, in some sort of costume. He was now shielding his face as Megan grabbed my wrist with the club in it.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" I whispered angrily towards them.

"We're here to save you... From Falcone..." Megan whispered back, slowly realizing that I wasn't in any danger. "Why are you here?"

"Helena's been captured. Her father is in there discussing 'terms' of her release, while I bust her out." I said, somewhat annoyed.

I looked down at Kam, who was no longer shielding his face.

"We can help you." He said, getting up to his knees. "There are at least ten guys out there, you can't take 'em all by yourself."

I narrowed my eyes at Kam. I wasn't sure that he would play it my way, with not killing anyone. He looked into my eyes, and I felt like he wouldn't kill anyone, so I nodded.

We were quite the team. Megan, it turns out, could turn invisible as well as shape shift into anyone that she'd seen. Kameron was a good distraction, and he was fast. I was a good fighter. We incapacitated all ten of them before any could figure out what had happened.

"Guys," I said, once I had found an unlocked window, "Thanks, but this is where we need to part."

"What do you mean?" Megan asked, puzzled.

"I mean I don't want anyone else getting hurt. Especially not you guys."

"Dan," Kameron stepped in, "I'll leave you alone, but you gotta promise me one thing."

"Name it." I answered him.

"You gotta come back to me, brother." He replied. I nodded to him and he hugged me, then walked away.

"Danny, I'm not leaving you." Megan stubbornly disagreed. She was beautiful even with green skin and red eyes, which is exactly why I didn't want her help. She needed to be preserved.

"Meg," I said, putting my hand on the side of her neck, "I gotta do this. Helena's in there."

"I know..." Megan replied as she stared at the ground, a couple of teardrops sliding down her soft face. "Danny, before you do anything, there's something you need to know."

"What's that?" I asked intuitively.

"Danny, I love you." She said, meeting my gaze. I was genuinely shocked by this. Sure, we'd talked since my mom died, but Megan and I had grown apart over these couple of months, and I certainly thought she was done crushing on me.

In a moment of not knowing what to do, I leaned in and kissed her. I was still attracted to her. The kiss lasted a couple of seconds, then I broke away. Kiss or no kiss, Helena was still my girlfriend and I still had to save her. But I didn't feel guilty about the kiss, not a single bit.

She and I made eye contact one last time, then she started to walk away. I climbed up to the window and slowly opened it, carefully not making any noise. I crept silently in the house, but nearly had a heart attack as I saw someone standing in the doorway. Thankfully for me, as my eyes adjusted to the shadows, I realized that the man had his back turned to me. I stealthily moved behind him and choked him from behind with my club until his body went limp.

I carried the body and laid it down onto the bed. The guy and his coworkers would just think that he was taking a nap. I then went back into the hall. I heard chatter downstairs, footsteps in another room, someone showering. I moved down the hall a little ways until I heard what I was listening for. The subtle sound of sobbing. It was coming from a bathroom at the end of the hall. I tried to sneak down there, but then another door opened, so I had to react fast. I jumped straight into the nearest closet.

The guy wandered the hall for a little while, told Helena to shut up, then went into another room. I exhaled quietly, not realizing that I was holding my breath that whole time. I felt completely powerless without my costume. I opened the door slowly, as to not make any noise. I snuck down the hall, and was finally at the room that Helena was locked in. I reached into my pocket and took out my lock picking tools that I usually kept in my belt of my costume. I shoved them into the keyhole and began to pick the lock.

It was successfully opened and I slowly opened the door. Helena was laying in the bathtub, but she wasn't taking a bath. She ran up and hugged me once she saw me, and I whispered for her to be quiet. Then, I texted Franco Bertinelli the code words, telling him that I had Helena. We waited a few seconds, then left the room once we heard machine gun fire.

We ran down the hall, towards the door that was supposed to lead to the garage. Much to my surprise, a man opened it. He was surprised to, as he got smacked in the face by my club. We ran down the garage steps and into the garage. I grabbed the keys to the nearest car and opened the garage door. I saw Bertinelli and his men fighting their way towards the cars they had brought as Helena and I hopped in the one I was going to take. A few miles later, we decided that we were safe.

"Danny... Oh my goodness. That was amazing." Helena exclaimed as we drove down a road in the forest.

"There's nothing that I wouldn't do for you, Helena. Even break into the house of Gotham's biggest mob boss." I said to her with a smile.

"Take a left here." She said suddenly.

"Gotham's to our right." I explained.

"I know. I wanna take you somewhere."

I gave her a confused look, but complied to her command anyways. She gave me directions, and we ended up at a small, luxurious cabin in the mountains.

"What's this?" I said as we got out of the car.

"Shut up. You will see." She said with a smile as she grabbed my hand and led me inside. It was a fancy, three-room cabin with a somewhat rustic feel. As soon as I was inside, we started kissing. I forgot about Megan, forgot about Kameron, even forgot about the Dayhound. When we broke away for the first time, we were both only half-dressed. The second time, we were on the bed. The rest, I'm not going to explain for reasons that I hope are obvious.


	7. Chapter 7

—Kameron—

I walk Megan up to her room, I am silent. It's not until we are in the elevator that I talk to her.

"So that's what Danny feels like every night..." I say to her with a smile. She smiles back.

"Must be. Is it a good feeling, Kam?" She asks me.

"Yes. I almost forgot about how much I hate my life."

She doesn't find this comment nice, because she frowns.

"Don't say that, Kam, please..." She says in a pleading tone. I almost think she feels bad for me.

"Look in my mind," I say to her, leaning my head toward her, "You can see what I see. Then you will realize that it's ok for me to hate my life."

She reluctantly puts her hands up to my head and the memories flash before my eyes. The other Batman, the dark dayhound, the distorted man, and many more. All of the voices too. It's too much for Megan, I see, because she backs away, a look of complete shock and awe on her face.

"Kam... I... I need to go!" She says as the elevator doors open. She quickly runs out of it and down the hall to her apartment. I reluctantly sigh push the button for the first floor.

I decide to call Danny, to make sure he's ok. It rings until his voicemail comes on.

"Hey, you've reached Danny. I can't make it to the phone right now, but leave me a message and I'll call you back." Danny's voice says on the answering machine. I hang up and call again, which gives me the same result. I think about freaking out, but then realize that I can still feel him. I can still feel his life, so he isn't dead. He's probably just sleeping. Or he's with Helena. Maybe he's sleeping WITH Helena. Those are all good reasons for him not to answer his phone.

I walk down to the bike that I brought and attempt to start it, to no avail. There is no more fuel left. I sigh and start to walk down the street, towards the Diamond District.

I had walked a little ways when I hear a voice saying my name.

"Kameron. Kam!" The voice says. I look around, my eyes stopping on a half-black half-orange mask.

"Who the hell are you?" I ask the mask. He lets out a "hmph." of satisfaction, and then removes the mask. It is my father, Slade Wilson.

"Dad?!" I ask him, shocked. He'd disappeared since mom's killing.

"Hello son." He says with a smile. I run up to him, not knowing whether to punch him or hug him. I decide to hug him.

"Where did you go?" I ask him after I break off the hug.

"I need to tell you something first..." He says as he backs into the alley, gesturing for me to follow him. He goes into a building. I go inside after him.

Inside, it reeks of some sort of incense. There are two swords on the wall, two pistols, and a high-caliber sniper rifle. My father hangs his mask on a hook in the middle of this array. He sits down cross-legged on some sort of meditation mat and gestures for me to do the same.

"Now, I'm sure you have a lot of questions." He says to me once I have taken a seat, "but first, I need to tell you something. Your brother. He's not who you think he is."

"I know. He's a vigilante." I say to him back in an emotionless tone. The incense is doing something to my mind. I am not hearing any voices or seeing anything. "What is this incense?"

"It's called Ya-Wei. It's from an island in the pacific. It's said to keep away dark spirits. It's working for you, isn't it?" He explains. I nod at him, and he continues.

"He's not just a vigilante. He's a killer, he's a liar, and he's the reason your mother died."

"Danny? A killer?" I ask. Then I remember the Butler saying how Danny had been guilty when he killed. "The reason my mother died though? That's not his fault. It's mine."

My father smirks at this.

"My dear boy, it wasn't your fault it was Danny's. I know, I was there." He explains, pulling two wooden boxes, a smaller one and a longer one, from behind him. "I was there to rescue her. As you can tell by now, I am Deathstroke, the assassin. Which is why I couldn't be there for you when you were a child. I didn't want my enemies to hurt you. Now, back to Danny. You see, I was in the building, in the process of rescuing her, when Daniel ambushes me. We fought for a while, and he tricked me and shot my foot. He laughed as I fell out of the window, all the way down to the ground, which knocked me unconscious. Had he not done that, I could've saved her. It's his fault."

I look into his eye for a moment, trying to determine the truth. He must be telling it. After all, Danny left out the encounter with him.

"I can see that you agree with me, which will make this next part easier." He says as he opens the smaller box. Inside, is a large syringe. "This is the serum that made me who I am today. Inject it, and you will be able to use ninety percent of your brain. On top of that, you will be able to run faster, hit harder, and be smarter than any human ever could. I also have added something into it that will put you in a sort of trance that will let me train you to be a master martial artist before the night is up."

"And what's in the other box?" I ask, picking up the syringe. My father smiles.

"This my son, is your weapon." He says as he opens the box. Inside, is an ornate long katana. I almost can't inject myself fast enough.

—Danny, the next morning—

I woke up in an unfamiliar place. I sat up and realized that I was still at the cabin. Helena was no where to be seen, but the shower was running, so I figured that's where she was. I needed to get dressed again. After a little while of trying to find my clothes out of all the clothes on the floor, I was able to get dressed. I went into the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat. I got myself a bowl of cereal and began to eat up.

Helena walked in, only in a bathrobe. She kissed me softly and sat down next to me on the couch.

"Sorry I couldn't make you anything. I kind of don't know how to cook." She explained, putting her legs up on my knees.

"You're Dad's gonna kill me." I said to her, mortified.

"No he's not. You saved my life. I think the least he can do is let you have sex with me."

"What about Falcone? Your father probably thinks that Falcone caught us, and we are dead now."

"Relax Danny," She says as she straddles my legs and takes her face in my hands. "Everything is fine. I texted my dad this morning and explained the whole situation to him.

"Ok..." I say reluctantly, before she kisses me.

"Well, I'm gonna go get clothes on. Don't miss me too long." She flirts with a wink. I finish my cereal and decide to look around the cabin.

It's a seemingly small place, but it's fancy. Purposely rustic as well. There's even a moose head over the fireplace. It seemed almost too natural. I decided to climb up there and take a look. It was an easy climb, since the fireplace is made of rocks that looked as though they were taken from a mountainside. Inside both the moose's eyes are two small cameras. Bertinelli saw the whole thing. And there was bound to be more cameras throughout the house.

I found another before the bedroom door opened, and I decided to look in there. Sure enough, the painting above the bad was partially made of glass, concealing another camera behind it.

"Danny, what are you doing?" Helena asks as she comes up behind me.

"There are cameras throughout this whole place. Your dad has been spying on us." I said seriously. The blood drains from her face.

"My dad's never been up here. He doesn't even know the exact location." She explained, clearly scared.

"Wait a minute... Was the door locked when we came in?"

"I... I don't know! I was too busy thinking about screwing you!"

I thought back. I concentrated. Recreated the scene in my mind.

"The door wasn't locked." I said, opening my eyes, "it definitely was not locked."

"So someone broke in?" Helena asked.

"Someone who knew that we'd be here. Who else knows about this place?"

"Knew about it? My Father, Me, and Eddy. Only Eddy and I have been here though."

"Seems like we need to pay Eddy a visit."

"Ok, but Danny, promise you won't hurt him."

"Fine..." I said as I walked out the front door, Helena close behind me.

—Kameron—

I wake up on the floor, my father standing over me.

"You're ready, my son." He says, smiling. He helps me up, then grabs the Katana. "Now, you just need a name. Something that will strike fear into the hearts of your enemies."

"Danny is the Dayhound?" I ask, grabbing the sword, "Well, I will be the Nightwolf."

"Good. Now we will test how well the training worked." He says as he leads me into the other room. I pull my scarf and hood up as I'm sure Danny's done a thousand times. In this room, there are some henchmen waiting.

"Ok men," my father snaps as the notice him, "first man to kill this man will win three thousand dollars."

I give him a funny look, but don't have time as the first man charges me. He tries to punch me, but it as though he is moving too slow, making it easy to dodge. I punch his shoulder hard. He flys across the room, clutching his shoulder and slams into the concrete wall, cracking it.

I kick the closest guy to me in the chin, and his head snaps back at an angle that I'm sure heads aren't suppose to move.

I knock out two of them with each one of my fists, and then the third and final, I snap the neck of with one hand. Once this is over, I turn to my father, who is holding out the Katana in it's sheathe.

"Good, my son, you have made me proud. Now head back to Wayne Manor and meet me here at nightfall."


	8. Chapter 8

—Danny—

Helena and I had tried the front door to Eddy's restaurant, but surprisingly it was locked. Eddy served breakfast on Sunday's. He always had. We knew something was up. Helena had a key to the back door, so we used that entrance.

"Eddy?" Helena called out as we entered. "Eddy, Danny and I gotta ask you something."

The only response we got was a hacking cough coming from the other side of the kitchen. As we rushed over, we saw blood. Then we saw Eddy, the source of all the blood.

"Helena..." He whispered as he saw us, "Helena, come here..."

Helena and I both kneeled over the poor man. He was in bad shape, probably wouldn't live long.

"Eddy... Who did this to you?" She asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"A man in an orange and black mask. He demanded to know where the cabin was. I didn't tell him at first, and well... You see what happened."

"Eddy, you should've just told him." She cried out, taking his hand in both of hers.

"How could I do that? It was your special place. I'll be fine anyways.." He whispered, trying to smile. His teeth were covered in blood. "I have something for you. Go upstairs and fetch the box from my safe, the combination is 23-45-09."

Helena nodded, now crying and hurriedly ran upstairs.

"Daniel... Daniel, Daniel. You and I both know that I won't live. You have seen bloodshed. More than your fair share of it."

"Eddy, you gotta hold on man, for Helena." I said, almost in tears myself.

"I have been here for two days. Trust me, I've been holding on. I needed to see my god-daughter again. It is a shame I will never see you grow into the good husband I know you will be to her."

"How do you know that I'm going to marry her?"

"I don't. It is up to you. But trust me, son, if the two of you did, I would be glad it was you."

Helena came down with the box. Eddy took it from her and opened it.

"This necklace," he said, pulling a beautiful necklace from the box. It was silver, in the shape of an arrowhead with a cross on it. "was made from the crossbow bolt that nearly killed your father. It has been inside me, as I saved him. It is a good luck charm. It will keep you safe. I wanted to give it to you when you were eighteen, but I fear that I don't have that long left."

"Eddy, please don't leave me!" Helena cried out.

"It is my time, baby-girl. But I am leaving you in good hands." He said, looking at me.

"Eddy, if I showed you a picture of your killer, would you be able to tell me if it's him?" I asked, suddenly. I may not have been able to save him, but I was going to lock his killer up. He nodded. I pulled out my phone and showed him a picture of Deathstroke.

"It's him..." He said, smiling, "you intend to catch him, not kill him?"

"Yes... I am going to lock him up forever."

"Bene... Bene... Ben..." He said as the life drained from his body. He was dead. Helena was balling. I shut his eyes and called the police.

—Kameron, that night—

By the time night hits, I can barely contain myself. This is the night I will join my father in the purging of Gotham. Tonight, with the help of Deathstroke, I will kill the Joker.

Once I am in my costume, I meet him at the building where he said to. He is already dressed in his gear, mask and all. There are two swords strapped to his back, one long and one short. His sniper rifle is also there, and his pistols at his sides.

"Here, put this on." He tells me, tossing me a belt. I replace the one that is already on me. Now that it's on, he opens a drawer and pulls out a third pistol. This one is a black revolver with a very long barrel. He tosses it to me, and I put it in a holster on the back of my belt.

"This was one of the Joker's guns. I found it near where your mother was killed and had it painted to suit you. If you can't kill him with the sword, use the gun. It's already loaded, but there's extra ammo in the second pocket in the right side of your belt." He tells me. I simply nod to him. He proceeds to explain what is in every pocket on my utility belt, and makes me memorize the item and their usage. Once this is done, we head out towards the Abandoned Theme Park in Amusement Mile.

—Danny—

"What do you want, Bruce?" I said crankily as I walked into the Batcave. I had been with Helena at her house until Bruce called me saying that there was an emergency. He, Batgirl, and Robin were all in full costume.

"The I used the Wayne-Tech satellite to track only one thing: Promethium. There is a large quantity moving fast towards Amusement Mile." He said, throwing me my costume.

"So?"

"SO, unless San Fransisco's 'Metal Kid' is real and in Gotham, I think that it might be our old pal Deathstroke."

I got my costume on quickly and hopped in my car. My father was back in Gotham for sure, and I was gonna catch him.

—Kameron—

We are finally so close. I tremor with anticipation of that Clown's blood on my hands. In fact, we see him right now.

"We could just take the shot right now," my father says to me as we look upon the Joker from a nearby rooftop, "if you want, you could even take it. My rifle could make his head explode from here."

"No." I say, standing up from a prone position, "I want to kill him up close. I want him to see my eyes and scream as I tear out his liver."

"I like the way you think, boy-o." My father says as he slings his rifle back onto his back. He flips off the ledge, landing silently onto a van. I follow him.

The van takes us to the lowest part of the old wooden roller coaster. Low enough so that we can jump, grab onto it, and hoist ourselves up. We follow the roller coaster until we are just above the Joker. I get ready to leap in front of him, until the Batmobile roars over the fence, followed by Batgirl and Robin on their motorcycles. After those two, The Dayhound's car comes over the fence.

They all hop out/off of their respected vehicles and start to fight off the crowd they've gathered.

—Danny—

Left hook, right straight, flying kick, then I bashed a fourth guy with my bat. I was honestly on fire. But still no sign of Deathstoke. I fought my way over to Batman to ask him.

"Where the hell is Deathstoke?" I yelled to Batman as I brought my bat down on someone's face.

Instead of answering me, he shook his head in a direction, then went back to fighting. Deathstoke was standing on the roller coaster with someone. The same someone who was killing those girls in my drug-induced dream. The same person who was wearing the same costume as Kam was last night. It didn't hit me until that point. Kameron was the guy.

The very thought of it enraged me enough that I couldn't think straight. I grappled onto the roller coaster and charged them.

—Kameron—

The Dayhound is coming at us fast. Faster than I'd ever seen him run. He is angry too.

"Go. I'll handle him. You bring me back a clown heart." My father tells me as he draws his long sword. I nod to him and jump off the roller coaster.

The Joker sees me and giggles. He draws a revolver that is similar to mine and fires a few shots towards me, all of which I easily dodge. I draw my own weapon of choice, my ornate katana, and slash at his throat, an attack that he narrowly ducks. He picks up a brick next to him and hits me in the face with it. I stagger, giving him enough time to run into the fun house. I follow him.

—Danny—

I saw Kameron jump off the roller coaster and charge the Joker. He still wanted to kill him. I needed to jump after him, but was being approached fast by my father. Instead of doing what I wanted, I had to face Deathstroke. I swung my bat at his head, which he blocked with his sword.

"You surprised me the last time we fought." He said behind that orange and black mask. He pulled his blade away and head butted me backwards. "That won't happen again."

I swing at him again with my bat, but instead of letting it make contact, I punch him quickly with my free hand, making him stagger back.

"You know, that girl of yours really is hot." He said, seemingly unaffected by my punch. "Shame I am not a good father to you. Could've given you advice on girls. What's her name?"

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to make me mad. Boding me into making strong, sloppy hits. Making me slip up. I knew what he was doing and I still couldn't stop myself from getting mad.

"Just kidding son, I already know her name." He said, once we clashed again. "But she really is gorgeous. Nice body too. Yes, I was the one who put cameras at the Cabin, but I wasn't expecting you to screw her there."

"Shut... Up... You... Stupid... Bastard... Idiot!" I screamed at him as I bashed down on his blade with each word. He laughed as he kicked me in the side of the head now that my guard was down. I fell off the roller coaster and landed hard on the concrete below. I wanted to just lay there and die. I never did though. By the time Deathstroke was on the ground as well, I was back on my feet.

—Kameron—

The fun house is scary. I can't even tell if it's actually scary, or it's just my schizophrenia. There is blood everywhere. On the walls, on the floor, even on the ceiling! How do you get blood on the goddam ceiling?!

I creep silently down the hall, when I hear the Joker's voice coming from seemingly everywhere.

"They're just using you." He says to me, "Batman, Dayhound, even Deathstroke."

"Where are you?!" I scream at him with rage. He is making me angry.

"Do you know how happy everyone would be if you killed me? They'd be happier than... Well... Me!"

"I swear, as soon as I find you, I will tear out your guts."

"But that would ruin the fun!" He says from his hiding place. He giggles. "Don't you see? Gotham needs me. Batman needs me. And you NEED me."

"Shut up you stupid clown!" I yell at him, trying not to cry. He is getting to me.

"Always so serious. Everyone is always so serious. Gotham needs another one who is wild, fun, and... Crazy... You can be that person. I know you have the potential. After all, you do hear voices."

"How do you know that?" I whisper, my voice faltering. I am getting scared.

"Oh... I know all about crazy people. I could see it in your eyes the moment ours romantically locked. So whatdayasay? Partners?" He asks as he finally steps out of the shadows, in front of me. I lunge and pound him against the wall. I grab his neck and hoist him up. I draw back my sword, ready to deliver a killing blow. I could end it right now. Kill him. But a man in red is standing behind me, screaming at me not to. Begging me not to.

"You could be like them." The Joker croaks out with a smile on his face, "Or you could have one hell of a time embracing the crazy side of life."

I, too smile. I stab my sword next to his head and let out a crazy laugh of my own. I know what I need to do.

—Danny—

I was getting my ass pounded. At least he wasn't making me mad on purpose anymore. Then, a batarang goes whizzing through the air, and nearly nails Deathstroke in the back. He caught it though. Batman leapt in between us.

"Really Batman?" Deathstoke said, a spot of humor in his voice, "Haven't you learned that your toys don't work on me?"

"I made this one especially for you." Batman replied as he pressed a button on his forearm. The batarang let out a few beeps, then exploded. "Go! Stop Kameron! I'll handle Deathstroke!"

I gave Batman a nod, then charged into the funhouse.


	9. Chapter 9

The Funhouse was eerie. There was blood everywhere, probably from the many unimaginable things that the Joker did to people in here. How could one man be so cruel?

"Kam?" I called out once I was in there. No response. Fearing the worst, I pulled my bat off my back. "Kam, speak to me bro!"

After a few seconds, I finally got a response. Though, I wished I hadn't.

"There is no Kameron." He replied in a bitter voice. "Just the Nightwolf."

I heard rushing footsteps coming from behind me, so I rolled forward, spinning around once I was back on my feet. Kameron was standing there, sword drawn, savage look in his eyes.

"Kam, man, calm down!" I said to him, concerned. He charged me, but I rolled past him, slamming my bat into his back as I did. He roared and charged me again. He threw his sword down on my bat.

"There is no Kameron, Dayhound. There is only me!" He screamed at me.

"You need to calm down!" I said. He pressed down on my harder. He was stronger than before, no doubt because of Slade Wilson. I did the only thing I could, I swept his legs out from under him. I hit him a few times whilst he was on the ground, but he got up. He slashed down on me multiple times, all of which were narrowly blocked by me.

"There. Is. Only. The. Nightwolf!" He yelled with each slash. The final slash cut my bat in half. I hit him with the bigger half and threw it at him. He yelled at me again, and started a flurry of slashes.

—Kameron—

The Dayhound had hit my last nerve. He was going to die here. I finally realized that the reason my life sucked so much was because of him. My ex-girlfriend was in love with him, He had sex with one of the hottest girls in school, and he was a super hero. I am done being his brother.

It felt good to finally hurt him. None of my significant slashes actually made contact, but all of the cuts hurt him emotionally. As I lay this fury of slices on him, all of them are either dodged or blocked by half of his bat. He finally head butts me and takes my sword. He throws it to the side, and tries to hit me with his half bat. I dodge back, and draw the revolver strapped to my lower back.

"Kameron... Nightwolf. You don't have to do this!" The Dayhound says as I aim at his head.

"You're right, I don't! But You are the reason my life sucks! Because you're life is so great, you have taken everything that is good from my life! So yes, I don't need to do this, I want to do this." I cry out, laughing hysterically.

"Kameron! I-" He says, trying to stop me before he disappears.

—Danny—

"Dnuohyad, lrigtab, Nibor, Namtab, ot em!" Was the last thing I heard before I was whisked away. I looked around. This was the building where I had left Zatanna.

She, Zatara, and John Constantine were standing in a circle around Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and I. Batgirl and Robin were unconscious, and Batman and I were nearly unconscious.

"Well, looks like we intervened at an ideal time..." Zatara said, as Batman tended to his fallen soldiers.

"Looks like this is handled," John Constantine said as he jammed his hands in his pockets, heading for the door, "I have a demon to send back to hell."

"Hold it right there, John." Zatara commanded. Constantine stopped in his tracks and turned towards him.

"Awe, c'mon Gio. You know that I hate Mnemonic Incantation!" He replied in a whiny tone.

"What's Mnemonic Incantation?" I asked hastily before anyone else could speak.

"It's what this bugger uses to cast his spells. Speakin' words backwards creates a spell. I can do it, but I ain't a fan of it." John Constantine replied, partially to me, partially to Zatara.

"You also don't like to use magic." Zatara added in, patting Constantine on the shoulder, "If you really want, you can leave, John, but when I need you back, please come the first time I call."

"Can do!" He replied as he rushed out. Shortly after, he rushed back in though and said, "You wouldn't mind if I borrowed the Dagger of Azazarh though, would you?"

Zatara rolled his eyes and nodded his head. Constantine ran into the room that Zatanna had previously retreated to when she was stressed, and came back shortly shoving something in the pocket of his coat. He gave a salute with one finger and hurried back out.

"That man will be the death of me, I swear." Zatara said, before addressing Batman, "I trust that you can get the Batmobile here, and your two fallen comrades to safety yourself?"

"Hold it right there, Giovanni." Batman protested, "I want to know exactly what you and her are doing with him."

"And what gives you the right to know?" Zatara asked back.

"Because he's my soldier... He's my son." Batman explained. I know that he was meaning this metaphorically, but it still brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't let any of the others know that, especially not while I was in costume.

"I'm sorry, Batman, but the more people who know, the more power it gives our enemies. I know, I know, you won't tell anyone, but we are dealing with entities that can force it from even your mind." Zatara explained, helping Batman carry Batgirl and Robin out to the Batmobile. Batman simply nodded at this explanation, then drove off.

"That man will be the death of me as well..." Zatara muttered, then turning to me, "Well, it's good to finally meet you. I trust that Zatanna told you what you actually are?"

"Well, yes, but I think you got the wrong guy, Zatara. You see, I'm not magical at all." I tried to explain to him.

"Wrong. You've been having strange dreams, correct?"

"Yes."

"And some of these dreams actually come to pass. Trust me, that's magic. I can sense it for miles. We just need to harness it. Teach you to use your power."

"As much as I don't believe you, I don't think you'll stop bothering me until I just comply."

"Correct. Shall we begin?"

—Kameron—

Goddammit! Where did he go? He was here a second ago! I frantically search the funhouse, looking for the Dayhound. One of the Joker's henchman wanders in, and I spring on him.

"Where is the Dayhound?!" I roar, tackling him to the ground. He cries out in fear, and I lift him above my head, then toss him into the wall.

"I don't know!" He yells as he spits blood onto the floor. I pick up my sword and throw it at him. It embeds itself into his shoulder and he cries out in pain.

"Wrong answer!" I scream, as I hit the end of the handle, driving the blade in deeper. "Where... Is... He?!"

"I don't know! I swear to-" he starts to say, before I grab his throat in my hand and crush his windpipe. He gasps for air, but to no avail. I drop him to the ground and pull my sword from his corpse. I sheathe the blade and leave the funhouse.

The amusement park is in turmoil. There are policemen everywhere, arresting people left and right. One approaches me and tells me to drop my weapons. I charge him with impossible speed and draw his taser. I aim it at his eye and, before he can react, I squeeze the trigger. He drops to the ground, shaking as electricity volts through his body. Eventually, his eye explodes, and he dies of the pain. This draws the attention of more police.

They draw their guns, aiming at me. I draw my sword and my revolver and laugh. One takes a shot, but I react too fast. The bullet gets cut in half by my silver promethium blade, and the halves go to either side of me. I fire once at that cop's head, then jump into the air. By now they are all firing at me, but the bullets are either dodged or blocked by my sword. I land in front of a policewoman plunge the katana in her chest. She groans as her life quickly fades. I withdraw my sword and quickly throw it at a policeman who was fast enough to realize what had happened.

I took the handcuffs from the belt of the not-yet-fallen policewoman, and put the prongs of them in between my fingers like claws. I pounce on the nearest man and tear his throat out with my makeshift weapon. The next one points his gun at me, but mine gun is faster, and he quickly drops before he can get a shot off.

There is one more left. She points her gun at me as well, but I shoot it out of her hands. In a panic, she goes for the sword. I laugh at her as she struggles to pull it out of her fallen comrade. As I approach, she gets more frantic. She finally gets it out, and does a wild, downward slash. I catch the blade in my armored hand, and tear it from her grip. I shove my pistol in her mouth and pull the trigger slowly. Now that all the cops are finished, I leave the abandoned park.

The first person I see once I'm out is a little boy and his mother. I imagine I am quite the sight, just coming out a riot area covered in blood. How innocent this child looks? I could cripple him with a twitch. In fact, I do. I quickly snap my leg forward, making contact with both of his knees. They bend back at an awkward angle, and the boy falls to the ground, screaming in pain.

"You monster!" The mother yells at me, going to her child's side. An apparition of the Joker comes to my side (obviously a hallucination). He tells me to do a variety of things. Cut her, shoot her, kill her, rape her, torture her. I almost listen to him, but then a police car hits me, sending me flying down the street. I black out for what seems a few seconds.

I wake up, and the two police who got out of their car are approaching me, guns drawn. The one farthest in back holsters his gun and tends to the boy. I leap up, still in pain from the car hitting me. I may have super strength, but after a hit like that, one cop can take me out. I swiftly throw a Kunai from my belt at the cop still approaching me. He falls to the ground, and I prance into the night, searching for a place I can rest.


	10. Chapter 10

—Danny—

"Focus, Daniel!" Zatara scolded as I, once again, failed to throw up a shield spell against his attacking one, "Not only do you need to say the words backwards, you must also put your soul into the incantation."

"I'm trying!" I yelled at him in frustration, "I have no flaming idea how to 'put my soul' into anything!"

Zatanna giggled at this suggestive remark from her resting place in the corner. I blushed as I looked at her, then Zatara once again knocked me off my feet with another spell.

"You weren't focusing that time. Maybe we ought to give it a break..." Zatara said, clearly not getting the results he expected, "Zatanna, dear, will you please go and get us some food. I'm starving."

"Yes, dad." She said, standing up. She smirked at me, then, putting a piece of gum in her mouth, she left the building.

"Tell me, Daniel, did Batman ever train you in the ways of the sword?" Zatara asked, taking two fencing foils off the wall. He tossed one to me.

"Of course," I replied as I caught it, "I insisted after I decided to use a bat as a weapon."

Zatara smiled and took a fencer's stance, the tip of his blade extended towards me. I took my own sword in both hands and took a kendo stance.

"Ah, so he never taught you to fence!" Zatara remarked as we circled around the room for a little bit, pointing our foils at each other, "Pity..."

With that last remark, Zatara plunged his foil towards me. I smacked it out of the way, then countered with an overhead slash, which to my surprise, was parried easily by Zatara.

"Tell me, how do you feel with a blade in your hands?" He asked, dodging backwards.

"It feels comfortable, like it belongs there." I replied, taking a risky stab towards his shoulder.

"And you would say... It feels like an extension of yourself?" He asked, batting my stab to the side, leaving me wide open for the plunge. He didn't take it. Instead, took a few steps back.

"Yeah, I guess you could say so..."

"Magic is a lot like that. It needs to feel like an extension of yourself. Stop trying to make things happen, just feel them happen."

"And how would I do that?" I said, parrying his strikes. I started doing a couple of weak, quick, controlled slashes, setting him up for a surprise.

"Take the block, for example. When you see a blade coming at you, you block it with your own. It's not a controlled thing you do, it's an instinct." He said, blocking each of my blows. He seemed completely oblivious to what I was about to do.

"That's like magic. Don't try to force a spell, just-" He started to say, before I finished it. I had hit his foil hard to the side, then poked him with mine before he could recover. The tip touched his chest and bent the shaft. He looked impressed. "-feel it."

I smiled at him, then nodded. I was ready to try magic again.

—Later—

"At least he doesn't completely suck anymore..." Zatanna's voice came from behind me as a fireball shattered my shield spell. "He can actually do the spell now."

"Shut up!" I yelled, finally having enough of her insults. I was going to charge her, but Zatara placed a hand firmly against my chest, stopping me from doing so.

"I seem to remember, Zatanna," Zatara said, an evil grin on his face, "That you took one week to learn your first spell. Danny has done it in a few hours."

Red-faced and insulted, Zatanna left the room. Zatara turned to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. He was exhausted, but not nearly as much as I.

"Well, Daniel, I think it's time for you to go. You better have at least some sleep before school tomorrow... Well, later today."

When I got home, Alfred was still awake. He was sitting by a dying fire, his head in his hands.

"Alfred?" I asked, slowly approaching him.

"Danny..." He said, looking up. It was clear that he had been crying, "Danny, I'm so sorry..."

"For what?"

"I made his damned costume. He insisted. He said that someone wouldn't go away unless I had made it..."

I sat down on the table next to the chair he was sitting in. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Alfred. You were helping him. You were being a good caretaker."

Instead of saying anything, Alfred started crying again. He buried his head in my shoulder and kept telling me that he was sorry.

"Alfred," I carefully explained, "Slade would've found him even if you hadn't made the costume.

After a while of this, Bruce came out, a somber expression on his face.

"Danny, go to bed. I can keep Alfred company." He commanded. I did as I was told, but there's no way I could sleep.

Once again, I turned to pills. Another handful of painkillers did the job, making me high once more.

—Kameron—

"Hey... Um... Guy. You need to get up." A girl's voice says, awaking me. I slowly sit up and look at her. She has long black hair and brown eyes. Despite how dirty and grungy she looks, she is pretty hot.

"Hey! you're that Dayhound guy!" She exclaims, smiling, "It's me, Donna! You saved me from Firefly, remember? I'm digging the new outfit, dude!"

Without a word, I grab her neck and lift her into the air. She doesn't struggle, and instead, just pulls my fingers off.

"What the hell, dude?" She yells at me as she lands back on the ground. She shouldn't have been able to pull my fingers off.

"I'm not the Dayhound." I say to her in a rough voice. I am turning into Danny...

"Oh, I suppose you're like, his arch-nemesis or something." She mocks in a sarcastic tone.

"Are you mocking me?" I ask her with a puzzled look on my face.

"Maybe. Whatcha gonna do about it?"

"This!" I yell as I send a fist towards her face. It never lands. Instead, she catches it with ease. She shouldn't be able to. It should've broken her hand.

"What... The... Hell...?" I ask, trying to force my hand away from hers. She yawns a fake yawn as she continues to hold to my fist with ease. She finally shoves me away, sending me flying into the wall behind me.

"I was trying to help you out, bro." She says, walking away, "A lot of people get robbed in alleyways. Especially while they're sleeping. If you see the Dayhound ever, tell him hi for me."

What a weird girl. How is she so strong? I stand up, my head killing me. I step out of the alley I was resting in, and find that it is noon. I pulled out my phone, and pressed the contact for the Joker, calling him up.

"Hello, Mista J's office. This is Harley speakin' how may I help you?" A woman's (probably the Joker's girlfriend's) voice said on the other line.

"Get me the Joker." I commanded in a serious voice.

"Who's askin'?"

"Nightwolf."

After a few seconds of silence, the Joker's loud voice erupted on the phone.

"Hiya Jacob! Oh wait, wrong wolf." He said, giggling at his own Joke.

"Shut up. How do I kill The Dayhound?"

"Why do you want to kill him so bad, all of the sudden?"

"Because he escaped last time. I need my revenge for our mother."

"OUR mother? That loser is your brother? No wonder you wanted to kill him so bad."

"How do I kill him?"

"Ok... I'll tell you a plan that won't just kill him, it'll make him wish he was dead first. It'll make him BEG you to kill him."

I smirked, and told him to tell me the plan.

—Danny, a week later—

My whole week had been uneventful. I didn't even go out with Batman and the others. I had been training every night with Zatara. Fortunately, my shield spells were now strong enough to withstand everything he threw at me.

He never taught me any attack spells though. No matter how much I tried to get him, he never would. I would've been able to teach myself, but I couldn't figure out how to say the words backwards. I was so desperate to learn an attack spell that I even asked Zatanna. She was under strict orders from her dad not to tell me. I had to find someone else to help me, I had to find the Hellblazer, John Constantine.

"Well, what does Giovanni need me for?" He said, leaning next to me on the railing. I had arranged a meeting secretly between he and I, told him that Zatara needed some of his expertise. We arranged to meet at 1 o'clock in the afternoon on top of the my old apartment. Obviously, Constantine didn't know that, but he didn't need to.

"I lied. Zatara doesn't even know we are meeting here." I said, turning to him.

"I'm flattered mate, really but-" He started to reply, but I interrupted him.

"Dude! I didn't mean like that... I want you to teach me an attack spell."

"Oh, no can do, mate. The reason you're coming to me is because Zatara won't teach you one, not yet, at least. Do you realize how pissed he'll be if he found out that I was going behind his back to teach you?"

"C'mon, Constantine! Live a little, raise a little hell."

"I've raised plenty of hell, mate, and I'm a hundred percent sure that I am gonna raise more tomorrow."

"God, you are impossible!" I yelled at him as he started walking away.

"Well what do you want me to do? I don't even like magic!" He screamed back, as he turned around.

"Teach me a damn attack spell! A fireball, anything!"

"Fine! Fine! I'll teach you a damn spell! I'll teach you... A force spell. I'll teach you to knock your enemies off their feet. Then will you leave me alone?"

I nodded.

"Good. First rule of training with me, none of that backwards speak."

—Kameron—

I hold the box of contacts in my hand, just staring at them. Gray. Just like Danny. These contacts will turn my eyes gray. All part of the Joker's plan. As I put them in, I lick my lips, anticipating sweet victory. I then pick up a bottle near me. It's contents, liquid latex, used to make prosthetics. I may look almost exactly like Danny, but Helena spends enough time with him that she would be able to tell the difference between the two of us.

Once the latex is applied, I apply the makeup. Finally, to put the finishing touches on me, a black wig. Danny's hair is longer than mine, so I specially cut a wig to look exactly like his hair.

Once the wig is on, I turn my chair to look in the big mirror behind me. In the mirror, I see Danny. I laugh evilly, and exit the dressing room I'm in, and head out onto stage. I am hiding out in the Old Gotham Theatre. It is abandoned at the moment, save myself.

As I step out of the theatre, the light from the sun hurts my eyes. There are people everywhere. I could easily kill each and every one of them. However, I don't. I start heading down the street, towards the Bertinelli Estate.


	11. Chapter 11

When I arrive at the Bertinelli house, I knock on the front door. A large man answers it.

"Ms. Bertinelli! It's your man!" He calls up the stairs once he sees me.

After a few seconds, we get a reply.

"Send him up! I'll be out of the shower in a few minutes." She calls back. The man lets me in, and follows me until I get to the stairs. I have to act like I know where I am going.

Once I am upstairs, I have approximately one minute to find her room, because I hear the shower turn off. I immediately go into the room next to the bathroom, and hope that it was the right one. I am right.

Thirty seconds after I enter, Helena comes in. She is wearing a purple bathrobe, and her long black hair is still wet. She sits on the bed, and pats the spot next to her, motioning for me to sit next to her. I do as she commands, and she grabs my hand.

"What's up, Danny?" She asks, leaning her head on my shoulder. So far so good.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see you." I reply, trying my best to sound like Danny.

"Oh, are you sure?" She says, a flirtatious look on her face. No wonder Danny liked her so much. The original plan was just to break up with her disguised as Danny, but I think I'll change the plan slightly and sleep with her first. Not only will it be heartbreaking to her, but it will also be heartbreaking to him.

"Well," I say, acting like Danny again, and putting a hand on her thigh, "I guess I just got bored."

"Oh?" She says back, placing a hand on my chest and pushing me backwards onto the bed. She crawls on top of me and we start kissing. That's as far as I am going to let it go though.

—Danny—

That night was the night I got to take a break from magic and go back to crime fighting. I gotta say, I was relieved. As cool as magic was, Zatara had different teaching methods than I could get along with, and it didn't help that Zatanna was there laughing at me every time I messed up or said something that could be taken the wrong way. What was wrong with that girl?

Once I was in costume again, I walked into the main part of the Batcave, where Batman was giving Robin and Batgirl a briefing. When he saw me, he ushered them out. They ran to their motorcycles and left the Batcave.

"I know how bad you want to find Deathstoke and your brother," He said with a somber tone, "but don't. You're on patrol today, got it? That's a direct order."

I nodded, then went to my car. Batman went to the Batmobile. I followed him out, then to Gotham City.

The first thirty minutes of my patrol were boring. I beat up a street mugger, a couple drug dealers, boring stuff. It didn't get exciting until I saw green neon lights rising from an alleyway.

Upon arriving at said alleyway, I was greeted by a hundred neon question marks. This was the Riddler's doing.

Edward Nigma. Also known as the prince of puzzlers, the count of conundrums, and the riddler. He used to be just after money. Of course, that was when no one knew how smart Batman really was. Nigma was the first to find that out. After that, he became obsessed with proving that he was smarter than Batman. To this day, he hasn't.

"Hello Batman." His voice said on an intercom below. He must have motion sensors, but not cameras in this place, "It is I, the Riddler. I have kidnapped 3 people. Solve my riddles, and they get to live. First riddle: I am teary-eyed, but never cry. Silver-tongued, but never lie. Double-winged, but never fly. Air-cooled, but never dry. What am I?"

How was I supposed to solve this? I wasn't nearly as smart as Batman. I was about to call him in, when the answer suddenly came to my mind.

Mercury. It was simple. Mercury was shiny, so "teary-eyed", it was silver colored, so "silver-tongued", and it was liquid at room temperature, so "never dry." The roman God Mercury had wings on his shoes, but didn't ever fly.

After figuring out that answer. I took a moment to celebrate. I gotta admit, I felt really smart, until I had to figure out where the first victim was hidden from that clue.

I figured, even though it was a long shot, that the victim was at the Mercury Shipping Co.

I entered through a window that was on an overlook, looking over the whole factory. The victim was a woman, looking to be about in her thirties. She had short black hair, and some sort of business attire on. She was tied to a chair. None of those things are what I noticed first though. She had a bomb strapped to her. I vaulted off the balcony and rushed to her. The bomb had four minutes left on the timer, so I easily disarmed it. She kept saying thank you in a crying voice as I cut her free.

"The Riddler, what did he tell you to tell me?" I asked in my low, gravelly voice.

"He told me to tell batman it, actually." She stated, sounding as though she'd just saved her own life.

"I'm Batman right now. What is it?"

"Ok, ok, you don't need to get mad. It was... 'A natural state, I'm sought by all. Go without me, and you shall fall. You do me when you spend, and use me when you eat to no end. What am I?'"

This one was a lot easier than the other one. Balance. That was the key. It was also easy to find. The old Solomon Wayne courthouse. It had a person holding a giant scale outside. A scale was a symbol for balance. I walked in through the front door, only to get attacked by some guys in riddler outfits.

As I entered, I got hit over the head with a chair. After that, a guy tackled me to the ground. He began raining punches down on my head, but I kicked him off of me. I sprung up, nearly getting knocked back down again. I kicked a guy who was holding a fire extinguisher, then took it off the ground. I sprayed the one who had hit me with a chair in the face, then kicked him up against the wall while he was blinded. Lastly, I threw the extinguisher at the man who had tackled me. It hit him in the head and knocked him out cold.

Inside the courthouse, there was a girl hanging by her wrists twenty-five feet above the floor. A girl I recognized, Donna.

"Donna!" I called out to her. She opened her eyes and looked down at me.

"Hey there... Could you get me down?" She asked, putting a weak smile on her face.

"Yeah, hang on a second..." I told her. It was times like these when I wished Batman had given me some batarangs on my utility belt. I shot my grapple gun at the ceiling near her and pulled myself up the line until I was level with her.

"Ok... Um... Wrap your legs around my waist." I told her. She just gave me a look like I was crazy.

"Dude!" She said, still giving me a crazy look.

"What?"

"I wanna get down, not do anything weird while I'm up here."

I pulled my scarf up to hide my blushing.

"No, Donna, I want you to do that so you don't fall when I cut you loose. Wrap your legs around my waist."

She blushed and did so. I pulled out my knife and started to cut her down. Once the rope was almost cut, it snapped and she would've fallen, had she not listened to me. I extended a hand down towards her and she took it. I pulled her up, and her legs were replaced by her arms. We slid down the line, and were finally on the ground.

"Phew... Man... You really saved my ass..." Donna said once we were down.

"Yeah, no problem Donna. Does this happen to you a lot?" I asked her. I realized I was talking in my normal voice, which was odd because I was in the habit of talking in my "Dayhound voice."

"Does what happen to me a lot?"

"You getting into trouble. First Firefly, and now the Riddler."

"Oh! And you can't forget the time I met your arch nemesis!" She exclaimed, excitement in her eyes. I just looked at her.

"My what?" I asked worriedly.

"Your arch nemesis. He was dressed exactly like you, but black. And he had a sweet sword."

"No, no, no... Donna, I am going to give you my phone number. If you ever see him again, call me as soon as possible."

"Wow, we really are getting close I guess. You gonna tell me your name too."

"No. You have a cell phone?"

"What do you think? I'm an orphan."

"So am I. I'm going to give you my number. You're going to give me your address. I will send you a cell phone."

"Really? Wow man... Ok. Deal. Why is this guy such a big deal?" She asked.

"He just is." I said. Then I remembered the Riddler. "What did the Riddler tell you to tell me?"

"Well, actually he wanted me to tell-"

"Just tell me!"

"Ok, ok... Damn... He said: 'Riddle me this: We hurt without moving. We poison without touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We are not to be judged by our size. What are we?' What does that mean?"

"It's a riddle."

"What's the answer?" She asked, drawing close.

"I am still thinking..." I said, starting to walk away.

"I got it!"

"What?"

"The answer."

"Tell me."

"No." She said, crossing her arms. I stared at her in disbelief.

"Why not? Lives are at stake!" I yelled at her. She looked sad, so I toned it down a little. "Donna, please tell me."

"I will. If you tell me your name."

"Really?"

"Yup. I pinky promise."

"Ok... It's Daniel."

"Well, Daniel, pleased to meet you."

"What is the answer?"

"Words. They am can hurt people, and don't move. They poison people, but never touch them. They form both the truth and the lie."

"Donna, you're a genius."

"Thanks, Danny. I-" She said, running her hands through her hair.

"Sorry Donna, I gotta save lives. I'll get that phone to you tomorrow." I said, starting to run away.

"What about your number?" She asked.

"It'll be in the phone."

"And my address?"

"I'll find you!" I yelled, rushing out of the building. I knew exactly where to go, because I used to live just down the street from it.

An old printing press, simply called "Words." It was recently closed down, and purchased by a Mr C. Nun. Aka, Conundrum. Which meant the Riddler.

As soon as I entered, I knew I had the right place. The Riddler's voice echoed through the place.

"Hello there Bat- you're not Batman!" He said, still out of sight.

"No shit, Sherlock." I said, once again using my Dayhound voice. "I'm worse."

Nigma's laughter was the last thing I heard before being hit hard on the back of the head.

—Kameron—

"Helena-" I start to say, standing up when I am done being at this place

"Danny, it's ok. You aren't going to be in trouble. My dad likes you." She says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"That's not it. I'm breaking up with you." I tell her quickly. She is shocked and speechless for a minute.

"What?"

"Goodbye Helena." I say, leaving her house. I have to save my laughter until I was down the street. The look on her face will only be topped by the look on Danny's. Time to meet my next victim, Megan.


End file.
